Traditionally, pallets have been made from pieces of wood which have been nailed together. The use of wood pallets has created a multitude of problems in the industry. They are heavy, expensive to transport, not amenable to recycling, and have a limited lifetime. When goods are shipped on pallets, the recipient of those goods is made to bear the expense of returning the pallets to the sender, which may cut severely into the recipient's profit margin. Certainly, pallets may be reused, but their life expectancy is disappointingly short when compared to the costs they engender during their limited time of usefulness. Construction of pallets uses valuable raw materials, with little or no hope of recycling once the pallet's life has run its course. Many dispose of used pallets in landfills, but with so many landfills already filled to capacity, premium charges are levied against such disposers of pallets past their prime.
The patent literature, aware of the problems of using wood, is fairly rich in teachings related to pallets made from materials other than wood, such as cardboard. These teachings, however, have met with modest commercial success, despite the apparent advantages associated with cardboard. The problems common to this category include cost of production, durability and the ability to withstand the loads imposed on the pallet during use which is typically quite severe.
The following prior art reflects the state of the art of which applicant is aware and is included herewith to discharge applicant's acknowledged duty to disclose relevant prior art.
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